Post-Graduation Anxiety

MuAZD · #1 09-06-2002, 01:27 PM

So I'm sitting in my marketing research class thinking about what I'm going to do next year after graduation. All of a sudden I start panicking thinking that I may not be prepared, what if they just dump me on a project and leave it up to me to figure it all out and then I can't, etc. etc. Somtimes I get so sick worrying about if I'm going to be ready to handle having a full time "big person" job. I've had internships and other jobs but its not the same. Does anyone else feel like this or felt like this their senior year? I hope its just a phase

KappaKittyCat · #2 09-06-2002, 01:40 PM

Check out this book. It's called The Quarterlife Crisis, and it's all about graduating and joining the much-touted Real World. My big sis got it and is passing it down to sisters as we graduate. It's very good.

You're not alone.

AOX81 · #3 09-06-2002, 01:43 PM

I think I might have to check out this book...

No, you are not alone!!

Eupolis · #4 09-06-2002, 02:06 PM

The feeling you're describing is completely normal -- I'd guess that most seniors (and many people beyond) have it at some point!

When you're facing being out of school after 16 or so years of education, the questions about what happens next can be daunting. Just know that you don't necessarily have to decide everything right away! Your first job out of college will probably not decide the rest of your life.

FuzzieAlum · #5 09-06-2002, 02:20 PM

You know what I found ... as daunting as the thought of the real world was, when I got out there, it was way easier than school. Out here you work for 40 hours a week and that's it. There isn't homework. At school, every aspect of your life wraps into other things ... homework, socializiation, clubs, classes, all have to be organized around each other. And you know what? Now I'd rather be back in school!

MoxieGrrl · #6 09-06-2002, 02:57 PM

Don't worry. Think about where you want to live and what you want to do. Send out mucho resumes. Even with all of this "bad economy" talk, there are jobs to be found, and I'm certain one can be yours!

I agree with FuzzieAlum: it's easier than being in school! Just make sure to have other interests than work or else you'll get v.v. bored and lonely! At least I am sometimes......

Eupolis · #7 09-06-2002, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by localsororities
Ugh, I'm going through that right now. In fact, its gotten so bad that I've begun applying to grad schools, just so I can go back to school for a while...

Be very cautious with that strategy. Make sure you really enjoy what you're applying to do, and that you will enjoy it in the atmosphere that the graduate school creates. I've talked to a lot of people who really want to escape their graduate programs.

juniorgrrl · #8 09-07-2002, 01:54 AM

I'm in a graduate program (law school) and I'm still having adjustment problems.

Its so incredibly wierd to be back at my UG school - and EVERYONE I was close to is gone. Its very twilight zone. Its really crappy, because I don't really have anyone anymore, and it really depresses me sometimes, because I keep recalling the happy memories I had with everyone in various places around town.

I'm not in love with law school. But its better than not having a job in this economy.

All of my other friends are in a funk right now two. Boyfriend is unemployed. One former roomate is in Med School and having trouble adjusting. Another is working full time, applying to PA school for the fall, getting married in April, and hoping that her fiance gets into med school for the fall.

Quarterlife crises suck

aggieAXO · #9 09-07-2002, 02:30 AM

I started having some anxiety attacks just before graduating. I don't handle change well-I HATE to move. I had been on College Station for 7 years and was ready to leave b/c it is a small town and everyone was staying 18-22 and I was 25 but still the unknown stressed me out. I started at an EC here in Austin and was left completely alone -not good for new grad. I stayed at that job for 8 months and then could not take the stress anymore and found a new one at another EC and have been happy since (though at times burned out

but that is another story). The best advice I can give you is make sure your job has some sort of mentoring-this is so important IMO. That way if you have problems your mentor can help you sort them out and help at least alleviate some stress. It has been over 5 years and I can't believe how much I have grown -just take it one day at a time, concentrate on the here and now the rest will come.

Starlet · #10 09-07-2002, 08:51 AM

I will be graduating in May and am DEFINITELY worried about finding a job, especially because I want to move all the way to the west coast after graduation. However, though the thought of being out in the "real world" and making it on your own may sound frightening, it is also exciting. I'm trying to enjoy my final year at school EVER and will just have to work as hard as I did when I applied to colleges to find a job.

Eupolis · #11 09-07-2002, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by juniorgrrl
I'm in a graduate program (law school) and I'm still having adjustment problems.

...

I'm not in love with law school. But its better than not having a job in this economy.

All of my other friends are in a funk right now two. Boyfriend is unemployed. One former roomate is in Med School and having trouble adjusting. Another is working full time, applying to PA school for the fall, getting married in April, and hoping that her fiance gets into med school for the fall.

Quarterlife crises suck

Oh dear. See, I went to law school because I didn't really know what to do next. That is the worst reason to go to law school. Fortunately, I started to find my way a bit more. I started to get settled during my second year, but it took until my third year for me to really figure out a bit about what was going on.

However, a lot of what happens in law school is geared for people who know what they want to do. [I cut a long-winded gripe about On-Campus Recruiting from here; suffice to say it was useless to me because I knew I was leaving town but didn't know where I'd be going.]

I graduated in May. Now, I've moved to Denver (from Minneapolis), I've taken the bar (results in October), and I'm looking for jobs. The market is difficult right now. Larger firms recruit their new attorneys from OCI and their summer programs, so I'm a year or so too late for that, though I'm not really the large-firm type anyway. But large firms are laying off a lot right now, and the lateral commotion is making it tougher for us fresh-out-of-school folks to get jobs. Why hire a new associate when you can hire someone with 3 years of experience laterally? It's making the search a little harder. I'm looking for legal work and at possible alternatives.

Only an insane person can be in love with law school, so at least you're probably sane.

What year are you in school? It does get a lot better as time goes on. My 1L year was the worst year of my life. There were other things going on, but school made it almost impossible for me to cope with them.

Best wishes to you! I'm always sympathetic to anyone trying to deal with law school! Although there are people there to help you deal with law school, they tend to fail to realize that at least the younger groups of law students still have all of the questions that people at our stage of life ordinarily have.